The Daily Bulletin is published by Internal and Leadership Communications, part of University Communications
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Waterloo Magazine and the pursuit of happiness
The 2024 issue of Waterloo Magazine is now available. In this issue, we focus on the theme of Happiness, and explore the people, policies, innovations and insights emerging from the Waterloo community that are helping to create a world where happiness and well-being are possible for everyone.
The Waterloo Magazine is produced by a team of people from across the University – led by University Relations in collaboration with the Office of Advancement. The stories, illustrations and photography in each edition exemplify the ongoing impact of our Waterloo alumni, researchers, students and staff.
Here’s a look at some of the highlights:
- For individuals and communities, happier means healthier - A message from President and Vice-Chancellor Vivek Goel ;
- Mehndi Boy: The courage to be your true self - Zain Bandali (BES ’20) publishes an early-reader chapter book that explores gender norms and sense of belonging in a community ;
- The science of happiness - First-year students taught by Dr. Megan McCarthy (PhD ’16) hone more than their research skills by exploring what it means to be happy ;
- Unlocking human potential through a universal basic income - Floyd Marinescu (BMath ’02) launched UBI Works to reframe the debate about basic income — and his message is catching on ; and
- Roadblocks that lead to beautiful destinations - Chris Wilson (BSc ’21) charts an unconventional course to live a life with curiosity, and without regrets.
We are excited to introduce changes to the digital magazine experience. This includes a new landing page that leverages the most up-to-date web features and enables us to curate magazine content in one location. You will also notice that feature stories are posted to Waterloo News, so they can be easily shared to the home page and become part of our broader storytelling ecosystem.
Moving forward, we are also evolving our schedule to publish one issue of Waterloo Magazine per year as part of our focus on reaching much of our audience digitally, rather than by (costly) print. This means you can expect the next issue in 2025. While the schedule is changing, we remain committed to delivering the engaging stories you have come to enjoy.
We hope you enjoy the stories in our 2024 issue. Please share them using #UWaterlooMagazine and tag @uwaterlooalumni.
Register for Tri-Agencies webinar on Sensitive Research and Affiliations of Concern policy
A message from the Office of Research.
University of Waterloo researchers are invited to register for the Tri-Agency Webinar: Policy on Sensitive Technology Research & Affiliations of Concern.
The federal granting agencies are committed to providing Canada's research community with the most up to date information and best practices designed to reduce research security risks. They are offering webinars to help familiarize the research community with this new policy.
Specifically, the webinar provides guidance, with regards to the implementation of the Government of Canada's Policy on Sensitive Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC), by the federal granting agencies.
- Tri-Agencies webinar on Sensitive Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC) policy (in French), Monday, May 6, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Register.
- Tri-Agencies webinar on Sensitive Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC) policy (in English), Thursday, May 9, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Register.
- Tri-Agencies webinar on Sensitive Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC) policy (in English), Tuesday, May 28, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Register.
- Tri-Agencies webinar on Sensitive Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC) policy (in French), Thursday, May 30, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Register.
Velocity gathers Momentum
A message from Velocity.
Velocity has released its first edition of a brand new publication called Momentum. This new publication offers a glimpse of what we're up to and promotes the remarkable ambitions and accomplishments of the students and founders we work with.
Inside you’ll read about:
- Strong startup creation out of University of Waterloo;
- Cool tech;
- What founders and community leaders have to say; and
- How Velocity works.
“The world has a lot of problems and it’s very easy to be overwhelmed by them. What I’ve learned on this journey is that if you’re a person who continually asks, “Why not” or “Why not me”, that will take you very far because then you become essential to the solution,” says Iyinoluwa Aboyeji.
Let’s keep building.
Read the full publication.
Supporting a bird-friendly campus
A message from the Sustainability Office.
Window collisions are a common cause of fatalities and injuries in birds. In an effort to prevent bird-window collisions, the University of Waterloo is piloting Feather Friendly® window decals on the SLC/MC bridge, an identified high-risk area for birds on campus. The project is being led by the UW Society for Ecological Restoration group, who will be monitoring the bridge for bird collisions over the next few migratory seasons, with support from the Sustainability Action Fund.
Read the full article on the Sustainability Office news page.
Uniting science and art through STEAM education
By Sarah Fullerton. This article was originally posted on Waterloo News.
While it is often believed that art and science fall on opposite sides of the left- and right-brain divide, history shows that some of the brightest minds are versatile in both. Leonardo da Vinci, celebrated for his artistry, was also a scientist and inventor. Today, figures like Brian May, the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen with a PhD in astrophysics, and actresses Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and Lisa Kudrow (Friends), who are contributing authors in scientific research, exemplify the intersectionality between art and science.
Alumni from the University of Waterloo, such as Azeezat Adeyoyin Oyawoye (BSc ’21), illustrates this multidimensional talent. Oyawoye, known as Àbíkẹ́ The Artist on Instagram, has established herself as a visual artist and a project manager at Huge, a creative consulting agency with various clients including McDonald's, Google, Pantone and Lego.
In a technology-driven world, it is no surprise that employers seek individuals with technical expertise and creative thinking skills. As the demand for STEM graduates continues to grow, there is a notable movement to incorporate arts into the mix to encourage diversity of thought by attracting students with different backgrounds to gravitate toward STEM learning.
Waterloo has always been known for approaching challenges differently. Our faculty, students and alumni effectively unlock barriers by working together to develop creative solutions across disciplines. Building on this strength, the Faculty of Science at Waterloo strives for students to graduate with the skills to think creatively and approach work with passion, purpose and an innovative mindset. To address these needs, the faculty has introduced the Science Meets Art (SMArt) initiative to help students reach their full potential and empower them to explore interests including painting, graphic design, music and acting with other science students also looking to flex their creative muscles.
“Science Meets Art is a new initiative that will promote out-of-the box thinking,” says Chris Houser, dean of the Faculty of Science. “Now more than ever, we need scientists who can effectively present and defend science through a range of mediums. The program aims to enrich the science curriculum by creating an engaging learning environment that will provide graduates with a well-rounded education.”
The SMArt initiative includes a new elective course called Staging Science: Embodying Knowledge Expression in the Sciences that starts in spring 2024. A collaboration with Communication Arts, the course is taught by Dr. Sarah Klein and designed specifically for Science students.
“In this course, students will delve into plays, performance studies, and the history, philosophy and sociology of science,” Klein says. “By approaching science as an art, students will develop a set of collaborative, representational and embodied skills that are part of many aspects of scientific work, from designing research and interpreting data to conveying complex phenomena.”
Students will come away with a toolkit of performance skills that they will be able to call upon whether they are presenting research in class, defending a PhD, or sharing scientific findings with non-experts. Students who complete the course will have a whole new set of skills and experience to pull from throughout the rest of their degree and upon graduation. Read the full course description online and register for the upcoming spring 2024 term.